Thursday

Note: I wrote this Friday morning, but because life happens, I am just now posting it. I wanted to post it despite the time delay since it was already written.

Yesterday was a good day.

After spending all morning checking off tasks, I realized that Ada was very restless, and I needed to get that little girl outside. I told her that if she would give me a half hour to take a shower and get dressed, we could then spend a long time out in the backyard. She agreed.

The weather was gorgeous. It was cool enough for long sleeves and shoes, but sunny enough to be very comfortable. Here is what we did. Hannah and Ada made up this game. They scoop up grass clippings and the clippings serve as various objects--food, drink, etc.

Ada announced that the grass clippings inside this cup were "foffee" (coffee, for those of you who don't speak 'two'). After being at Near's for a week, Ada fixes me "foffee" quite often.

And now she is gathering the ingredients for soup. Yum.
Bubbles were also on the agenda, along with sidewalk chalk. The chalk was extra fun because it was wet from the rain earlier in the week. It gave the chalk a paint like consistency.
When I wasn't being served "foffee," I was sitting in the sun reading this book.Have you read it? It's a good one. Wow.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from today's chapter.

The gospel is not at all what we would come up with on our own. I, for one, would expect to honor the virtuous over the profligate. I would expect to have to clean up my act before even applying for an audience with a Holy God. But Jesus told of God ignoring a fancy religious teacher and turning instead to an ordinary sinner who pleads, "God, have mercy." Throughout the Bible, in fact, God shows a marked preference for 'real' people over 'good' people. In Jesus' own words, 'There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.'" (54)

Grace is shockingly personal. As Henri Nowen points out, 'God rejoices. Not because the problems of the world have been solved, not because all human pain and suffering have come to an end, nor because thousands of people have been converted and are now praising him for his goodness. No, God rejoices because one of his children who was lost has been found."

Finally, I loved how Philip Yancy ended the chapter,

Mozart's Requiem contains a wonderful line that has become my prayer, one I pray with increasing confidence, 'Remember, merciful Jesu, That I am the cause of your journey." I think he remembers.

All of the above sections of the chapter reminded me of a chapter we recently read in my Thursday women's bible study. As I have mentioned, we are studying the Psalms, and a few weeks ago, we studied Psalm 103, which we all agreed is a strikingly beautiful Psalm. Read it and study it if you haven't, or even if you have.

Here is my favorite portion,

He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103: 10-14

Daily I am thankful that He remembers that I am nothing but dust, yet he loves me anyway.

What a merciful God we serve!!!

p.s. for some unknown reason, blogger is not letting me put space between my paragraphs. I apologize because it makes for some unpleasant reading.